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TE KUAKA

ISSUE 1 2014

23

Teaching.

Teaching is both a science and an art;

It’s about knowledge and pezaz;

It’s about rules and creativity;

It’s about investigation and magic!

I embark on the every day adventure that is being a 21st

Century kaiako. With curriculum and best practice knowledge

wrapped around me like a detective-worthy trench coat and a

differentiation-shaped magnifying glass, I seek out each of my

akonga’s strengths and next learning steps. I investigate their

interests and find their hooks. I shape myself and my teaching

to best fit their individual, holistic learning needs. My classroom

programme is designed to allow me to target teach small groups

while the rest of the class works on their individual learning needs

through targeted independent work.

Creativity comes in with new and exciting ideas for writing and

how to practise our maths strategies through games. It’s from my

enchanted bottom-less bag that I pull learning opportunities that

transform children into artists, producers, engineers and actors.

I use every ounce of my magic prowess to ‘abracadabra’ boring

basic maths tests into brain-stretching quizzes that the tamariki are

just dying to get stuck into. The magic doesn’t

always

work, but I

know their hooks; if I can’t turn it into an adventure that sparks the

imagination, I can use the magic of motivation to help immerse my

akonga in their learning.

Each and every day offers, as the old-adage goes, the

opportunity to wear many hats, but I think of it more as an

opportunity to embrace my skills as a myriad of ‘ators’ and ‘ers’.

As a nurturer, I make it a rule to greet each and every child,

individually by name, every morning as they arrive at school. I work

tirelessly to know them all holistically and to form genuine learning

relationships based on mutual care and trust with all of my akonga.

To help them learn, it’s my job to not be the ‘sage on the stage’, but

rather their ‘guide on the side’ and facilitator of learning. As part of

this facilitator role, I also act as a motivator, mediator, negotiator,

translator and instigator (but never a

snappy

alligator).

The ‘ators’ and ‘ers’ don’t end there. As a reflective practitioner,

I am also a constant percolator and cogitator, slowly brewing

ideas and always thinking about all of our successes and areas for

improvement, akonga and kaiako alike. With so many balls in the

air, the smooth running of a classroom is key, bringing about the

need to also be a skilled administrator.

With such a varied job description it’s any wonder that we, as

kaiako, can keep up with all the roles we have to play each day.

However, we do with passion, enthusiasm, humour and stamina,

because there is not, and never has been, a greater job on earth

than to be the ultimate ‘ator’, an educator.